Career & Interview Coach for Professionals - Find the Right Direction, Communicate with Confidence & Prepare for Interviews

Find out more about Anna

• When did you start your personal development? What motivated this choice?

  I have always had an interest in personal development as it was ingrained in me from a young age. My parents always bought me books and encouraged me to take part in extracurricular activities at school. This interest has continued into my adult life so I am constantly learning new skills, to broaden my skill set and to become a better teacher.

• Describe your own understanding of "personal development" and what can it bring in the short and long-term?

  Personal development helps a person develop their full potential and improve our quality of life. They usually involve achieving certain life's goals so that you are not just surviving in life, you are thriving. In the short term, it helps you have an idea of where to direct your energy and focus on smaller steps to achieve your long-term goals. They can sometimes feel like you're not achieving anything until after a certain time or perhaps you try lots of different things to gain experience and insight into what you want in the future. Your long-term goals can change as time goes by which is healthy because it means you are learning more about yourself and getting clearer about where you want to go or want to become.

• What are some practical tips to help improve self-confidence?

  Start with simpler and achievable goals that help towards the bigger goals. Building confidence from the bottom-up means that people have a steady and assured pace towards their goals that do not demotivate. Sometimes, it is nice to push for something out of our comfort zone now and then, but not too often as it can trigger anxiety that may be too overwhelming for some. Seeing slow progress is better than moving too fast and failing fast for building confidence.

• Do you think a teacher can learn from their students? Is there a lesson where you have experienced this?

  Absolutely! Teachers are students too. We may know our subject really well but there are always new things to learn and integrate into our approach to make the lessons more effective, fun and enjoyable. I always welcome feedback from students about how they felt the lesson went and what they would like more of or less of. This helps me customize the lesson to suit each and every student but also, better my own skills. Even if something is working well, there is always room for improvement and to make lessons more fun or even more effective. We never stop learning.

• What personalities do you admire; who represents personal and professional success in your opinion?

  I really admire strong willed and minded women who have to challenge social norms and cultural differences to become successful. I also believe those in the minority struggle to become heard, articulate themselves and integrate into foreign communities. Their resilience and intelligence pushes them through to excel at whatever they choose to do. I often find these qualities in the students I teach. I also follow people like Oprah, Michelle Obama and Mary Malou for both personal and professional role models.

• What are your hobbies and what benefits do they have on your motivation?

  I enjoy hiking and sports as well as reading. I also practice mindfulness meditation and yoga. These activities help me feel healthy, relaxed and have a good outlook on life. They affect my motivation by feeling refreshed, energetic and ready for the day to help those who need me.

• Who are your classes for, specifically? Is this domain open to all?

  I tend to work with migrant professionals, migrant students or those whose first language isn't English. They usually wish to improve their English to an intermediate or advanced level in their job or for an interview or for university. I spend a lot of time helping students prepare for migrant English tests such as IELTS or ISLPR or PTE. However, I do help other students as a student mentor, VCE students with exams, proofreading academic or business documents, business language coach for improving and mastering communication at work, as well as mature students who are interested in improving their English.

• Being a Superprof requires some adaptability. Tell us about your methods in adapting to different individuals.

  All of my students have customized lessons that are designed for their goals which promote their strengths and remedy weaknesses. It usually involves a feedback session in the first lesson to discuss their needs, past experiences, test results, current skills assessment and an informal interview. From this, we create a personalised plan to achieve their goals and adjust after each week as I will have a better idea of their ability and learning pace.